Sneaky wheaty Crepe

The reason for sneaky is that its just a hint of buckwheat, don't worry it doesn't taste like cardboard. The wheat just gives it some more body, texture, and fills you up a little more. In Brittany, France, they are actually famous for buckwheat pancakes, and you would never know there was buckwheat in them if you tasted them.

I have some fascination with crepes and I think others do too, particularly watching people make them. A swirl of the wrist and handling the ladle like a composer makes this simple task look like a great art. The crepe makers on the streets and brasseries in Paris take this seriously even if it is street food to them. One of my favorite unknown crepe combos I discovered there was honey and lemon. They would put tons of lemon and leave the seeds on the crepe, which pleases the farmgirl in me. So, I took to the art today and made my favorites lemon and honey, and a berry crepe. But, I cannot forget apple and cinnamon and calvados (apple liqueur), nor crepes flambe with grand marnier! The possibilities are endless.

So here is a simple recipe for crepes, you can make them sweet or savory:

Ingredients (for 8 crepes):

• 3/4 c unbleached all-purpose white flour
• 1/4 c buckwheat or whole wheat flour
• 1 egg
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1/2 c water
• 1 t honey
• 1/2 t sugar
• About 1 T butter or Earth Balance margarine (vegan)
• couple teaspoons whole flax seeds (optional)

Toppings

• Mixed berry- strawberry, blackberry, blueberry + some REAL maple syrup +blackberry jam
• 1/2 lemon juiced for 1 crepe + honey or raw sugar

I topped the berry crepe with some flaxseed, a great source of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids- the best out there! Of course they are optional, but I like the crunch and texture they give in small doses. Alternatively, you can add it into the batter and they will toast up nice.

*For savory, replace honey and sugar with 1/2t salt.

*For vegan replace egg with blended 1 T flax meal or "sprinkles" + 3 T warm water and milk with soy or almond.

1. Whisk buckwheat, white flour in bowl to shortcut "sifting" the flours.

2. Make a little well in the flour, and add the egg, milk, water, honey, and sugar. Whisk in well a bit, then incorporate into the flour. Whisk until there are no clumps.

3. Use a nonstick pan and place a fingernail snippet of butter on pan, on medium heat. Ladle a little less than 1/4c, or half a ladle into the nonstick. But, if you like thinner or thicker crepes put more or less. Immediately grab pan and turn wrist to form a circle. Continue until the edges begin to look dry and stops running. You may have to heat up the pan a bit more.

Ok, secret, the first crepe usually never turns out. I use that to taste the batter-quality control so don't worry. Its an art remember and you must be in tune with the varying heat of your burner. Start higher, and after the flip, turn it down a bit, but you just need to do it to get the hang of it.

4. Top with your favorites. For the berries I mixed them with 1 teaspoon maple syrup and smeared blackberry jam inside the crepe + some berries. Be inventive and do what you like.

Crepes are versatile!

• Good thing is that you can make the batter a day in advance for a great breakfast. The batter is actually better because the dough soaks up the liquid better.

• Or if you want to make a whole batch for the morning, store them laying flat on a large plate with wax paper in between. You can also freeze them this way. What a good snack I say.

What's in the Fridge? by Chef Joanna is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

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